Opthalmologists are physicians who specialize in the medical and surgical treatment of diseases affecting the eyes. Opthalmological surgeons perform cataract surgery, laser eye surgery and corneal transplants. According to the American College of Surgeons, opthalmologists must undergo four years of undergraduate training, four years of medical school and a residency of at least three years before they become licensed to practice.

National Pay Scale

Medscape reports that as of 2011, opthalmologists earned a mean annual salary of $270,000. Half of all opthalmologists working in the United States reported an annual salary ranging from $150,000 to $400,000. Roughly 37 percent earned $150,000 or less per year, and 21 percent reported earnings of less than $100,000. About 10 percent of opthalmologists earned $400,000 or more, and 4 percent reported earnings of $500,000 or more per year.

Regional Pay Scale

According to Medscape, opthalmologists working in California and Hawaii reported the highest average salary by region, $315,000 per year as of 2011. Those in the Great Lakes States reported the second-highest pay by region, an average of $301,000 per year. With a mean salary of $275,000, opthalmologists in the Northwest earned slightly more than the national average for this occupation. All other regions reported mean annual salaries below the national average, ranging from $267,000 in the Northeast to between $253,000 and $255,000 in the Southeast, Southwest, North Central and South Central regions of the U.S.

Pay Scale by Work Setting

By employment setting, Medscape reports that opthalmologists working in healthcare organizations earned the very highest average salary, $352,000 as of 2011. Those employed in single-specialty group practices averaged $327,000 per year, those in multispecialty group practices $289,000 per year, and those working in solo practices averaged $267,000 in annual compensation. Opthalmologists engaged in academic research at universities and government and military institutions, averaged just over $200,000 per year, while those employed by hospitals reported the lowest average earnings, just $147,000 per year.

Pay Scale by Comparison

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that physicians and surgeons in most specialties earned an average annual salary of $184,650 as of 2011, far below the average earnings of opthalmologists. According to Medscape, opthalmologists were the 10th-highest paid physicians and surgeons by specialty group in 2011. The highest-paid, radiologists and orthopedic surgeons, earned an average of $45,000 more per year. By comparison, opthalmologists reported the same mean salary as plastic surgeons. In terms of job satisfaction, 50 percent of opthalmologists reported to Medscape that they were paid fairly in 2011, and 58 percent said that they would choose the same specialty if they could do it all over again.